The death god's daughter
by Tala Blaze
Summary: Ichigo's daughter Tala must follow in her father's footsteps and become a death god, she doesn't know the truth of what is happening but she knows that she must fight.
1. Chapter 1

-1Chapter 1.

Sliding the door open she kicked off her shoes ad padded inside. "Tala, come in here!" She heard her dad call. Sighing she headed into the living room.

"What is it?" she asked. She took in the difference in the room, everything had been pushed back to leave an empty space in the centre. Her dad was sitting cross-legged in the open space, he was dressed in black robes with a white trim and he had the largest sword she had ever seen lying on the floor beside him. She looked at the sofa and frowned, he was lying there as well, his eyes were closed and he was extremely still, "Death God," she breathed the two words.

He looked startled, "you know?" He knew she saw spirits and that she had an extremely large spirit force, he had figured that she had death god powers inside but he had thought that she was oblivious to the existence of death gods. He recovered himself and said, "come on, sit down. We have work to do." She noticed the serious look in his brown eyes so she sat down and tied her hair back, it was similar in colour to her fathers except hers was a little darker. Her blue eyes locked onto his as she waited for him to instruct her in what to do.

"Ok, focus your spirit energy, give it a shape."

She looked at him, "um...ok." She held her hands in front of her and a purple ball formed. "Like this?"

"Uh…" He looked stupefied, "yeah, exactly like that." He had expected it to take her a lot longer.

"Anything else?" Tala asked.

"Um," he was trying to think of something for her to do, he hadn't been expecting to move on to the next step so soon. "Well-"

"Ichigo!" He was cut off by a cry, they heard someone coming closer, footsteps pounded the ground, the doors slid open and Rukia appeared in the doorway breathing heavily. "Hollows…lot's of them."


	2. Chapter 2

-1Chapter 2.

Into the fray.

Ichigo snatched up his sword and sped off after Rukia, Tala quickly followed them. Now that she was alert she could sense them, there were so many of them, she frowned why were they all here? She knew she wouldn't be of much help but she followed anyway determined to try. She felt the Hollows presence as they sped around a corner.

The three of them skidded to a halt and surveyed the scene, there were at least fifty of them. Tala watched as her dad leapt at the hollows, he aimed for the back of their haunting white masks. She heard Rukia chanting and saw blue energy arc through the air.

Tala looked around frantically, she had no idea what she could do to help. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a large black fist that was almost as large as she was, swinging towards her. Leaping forward she felt the air shift behind her where the hollows fist had cut through where she had just been, it knocked her to the side, she rolled awkwardly and stumbled to her feet. She tried to avoid another hollows attack but found that she had nowhere to run to. The hollows fist slammed into her and sent her crashing into a wall. She let out a cry as pain blossomed throughout her body. The hollow grabbed at her, she tried to scramble out of the way but she couldn't it picked her up and began tightening its fist. The pressure forced the air from her lungs, colours danced before her eyes.

Hitting the wall had hurt but this was beyond that, the pain was so intense. The hollows grip loosened, it threw her aside and turned to face its assailant. Tala hit the floor hard, her head cracked against the floor, she rolled to a halt and lay on the ground, a dark halo formed around her head before spreading further. Her eyes lost their focus, paled and glazed over. Her breathed in a ragged breath before her chest fell and lay still.

_A/N._

_I'm going to have more time for this from now on so I'll be improving them, please review so I know where I'm going wrong. _


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.

Ichigo cut through the final hollow. He looked around to make sure that they were all gone, his eyes fell upon Rukia, his breath caught in his throat. She was standing beside his daughters still body, he composed himself, he was being stupid, he could see her spirit standing right beside, her chain of fate ran from her chest to her spirit. He knew that she was dead but he didn't panic, as long as her chain of fate remained unbroken her spirit could be returned to her body. He moved towards but stopped short as something silver flashed through the air, his eyes widened. He ran forwards in a desperate attempt to stop the swords flight but he was to late, even as he lunged forwards it severed the chain.

A look of surprise crossed Tala's face, "what the? Who cut that?" Panic rose within her, without her chain she couldn't get back into her body, she looked at Rukia and her dad, the fear was plain in her eyes. "Help." She squeaked.

Ichigo moved over to Rukia, "what should we do?" He asked.

"There's not much we can do, if she has Death God power's then she'll have to find them, she'll be fine if she does. If she doesn't…" Her voice trailed away, she couldn't say it, she swallowed and made her voice strong, "but she has them and she'll find them, she'll be fine."

Ichigo looked over at his daughter, he couldn't bear the thought of losing her. "Don't worry dad," she forced a smile, "I'll be fine." She was praying that what she had said was true, she wasn't done living yet. Looking down she saw her chain shortening, eating away at itself, she had a few days, not very long, she licked her lips nervously, choking down her panic she took a deep breath and calmed herself. Closing her eyes she searched inside herself for the place that she had visited once before a long time ago.

"Ah so you've finally returned," she heard the familiar lilting voice and looked up at the figure before her. It was a woman with black wings that seemed to shift constantly, it was disconcerting to look at for to long, she had startling red hair, dark shadows danced in her purple eyes.

"Hello Akito," Tala said.

"What brings you here?" Akito asked with a small smile and a knowing look in her eye.

Tala looked around her at the trees that surrounded her, she could see that they were all flickering. "My chain of fate was cut, I need to become a Death God or I'll die."

Akito nodded solemnly, "I know, you'll have to find your powers by yourself though, I can't help you though I can tell you this. This world is fading, you don't have long but in the time you do have you must seek out your powers, you will know them when you see them of course. Now go, you don't have much time." With that Akito vanished in a dark cloud that spread from her back and engulfed her, "good luck," came her voice, it sounded distant, as though it had travelled a long way before reaching Tala's ears.

Shaking her head Tala ran towards the tallest tree she could see, leaping into the lower branches she climbed up, once she was at the top she stood and looked around. She had no idea where to start, where to look what to do but she didn't dwell upon that, she knew that if she did she would begin to panic and then she would never find her powers. The branch beneath her flickered, Tala leapt to another branch the moment before the one that she had been standing on vanished.

"Guess I really don't have much time," she muttered. Jumping down she stood poised on her toes. She began to run through the trees, the ground and trees around her were all flickering and disappearing, she hurtled forwards trying to avoid the gaps that were appearing, she had to leap over several holes and the ground fell away from her feet a few times. Leaping over a large gap she skidded to a halt, "this is getting me nowhere," she snarled to herself.

Closing her eyes she reached out with her mind searching for the spirit force that was her Death God powers. "There!" Her eyes snapped open and her arm shot out grasping a red ribbon. She stared at it for a moment before a grin broke out over her face, she had never been able to do that before, she had seen Rukia do it and had tried a few times but she had always failed.

Returning to the task at hand she sped along still holding the ribbon. It led her through the trees, twisting and turning, she had to avoid increasingly larger holes in the ground, she was surprised when the trees stopped and she found herself in front of a lake. She frowned at the still water, the ribbon trailed into the water, she licked her lips wondering how deep the water was. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a huddle of trees flicker and vanish, gulping Tala ran forwards and dived into the water.

The ribbon trailed into the depths of the lake, it seemed to continue for an eternity. Her lungs burned and her limbs began to ache, her body began to feel heavy, her mind became foggy and clouded. She swam a little further before stopping, she couldn't go any further, she was to tired.

She closed her eyes for a moment and something shook her body, images shot through her head. Her friends, her family, everything that she knew and cared about. A small amount of strength seeped into her tired body. She had to keep going, she forced herself on, her arm flew forwards and struck air. She blinked in surprise before kicking forwards. She tumbled through air and onto a hard stone floor.

Standing she looked around, she was in a dome, she could see the water on the other side. The area was lit by a dim light but she couldn't see the source. She saw the ribbon that she had been following. She ran her eyes along it and saw that it led a the hilt of a sword, it was resting on a pedestal. She stepped towards, her breath came short and her heart beat fast. Her throat was so dry, she felt like her mouth was filled with dust.

Reaching out she wrapped her fingers around the purple wrappings of the hilt. Her eyes lingered on the guard, it was a dragon encircling the base of the hilt, the dragon was grey picked out in dark blue. Breathing deeply she picked up the hilt and screamed.

Rukia had to hold Ichigo back as Tala screamed, he strained in her grip trying to reach his daughter but Rukia refused to let go. "Leave her be," she said through gritted teeth, "you can't help her, she'll be fine."

Wrapping her other hand around the hilt she closed her eyes and tightened her grip, she compressed the force that was coming from the hilt, she had to make it smaller. Opening her eyes she staggered slightly, once she had regained her balance she looked down at the blade in her hands, it was slightly curved, the sharp edge had a wavy black shadow running along its length. Tala smiled and swung the sword, it was perfectly balanced, it felt right in her hands. Looking down at herself she saw that she was dressed in the black robes of a Death God, a scabbard hung at her waist, it was black with a pair of small purple wings set at the top. Sheathing her sword she smiled, it felt good to have it hanging at her side.

Looking up she saw a dark cloud appear, a moment later Akito was stood before her, "nice work." She smiled, "I look forward to fighting with you." Akito took a step forwards and drew her arm back, she brought it forwards into Tala's stomach, she gasped in surprise, the air was knocked out of her. She fell backwards her eyes closed.

When she opened her eyes she was staring up at a dark, star spotted sky, her dad and Rukia were staring down at her, she saw them both breath a sigh of relief and smile at her. Standing up she saw her body lying on the floor, going over to it she forced herself back inside.

Standing up she stretched, her back was to the other two, she couldn't see the looks on their faces, they had both seen what Tala had not, white fragments falling from her face. "Oh no," Ichigo whispered, "please don't let her become a vizard."

Rukia put a hand on his shoulder and turned him so that he was facing her, "don't say anything to her, watch her, make sure nothing happens and stay calm, she may be fine so don't worry to much."

Ichigo glanced at his daughter with an uncertain look, Rukia shook him and he returned his gaze to her and nodded, "ok, I'll keep an eye on her." He looked at his daughter, he hoped that she wouldn't become a vizard, he didn't want her to have to deal with that. Sighing he headed over to her, managing a smile he put an arm around her shoulder and she grinned up at him. He felt bad about not telling her but if nothing happened then he would have worried her for nothing, he just had to hope that she would be fine.

_Please review so I know where I may be going wrong and can improve, thanks._


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4.

Tala awoke, her eyes fluttered open and she sat up, her body ached and she let out a groan she massaged her temples with her fingers and flopped back onto her pillow. Staring up at the ceiling she watched as the events of the night before crawled through her head awakening aches and pains that she hadn't noticed before. She closed her eyes tightly and tried to block out the images and the pain. She couldn't remember getting home and realised that she must have fainted, opening her eyes she looked down and saw that she was wearing the same clothes that she had worn the day before.

Coaxing herself off of her bed she slipped into some clean clothes and headed for the door. Padding downstairs she headed for the kitchen, "dad?!" She slid open the door and looked inside, he wasn't in but that wasn't to unusual. She shifted around the kitchen looking for something to eat, she spotted a piece of paper on the counter, picking it up she sighed, it was their shopping list. She pushed the list into her pocket and headed into the living room and took some money from a small drawer in the table beside the sofa. Heading to the front door she shouted up the stairs, "Kon! I'm going out, if dad gets back before me tell him I won't be long!" Without waiting for a response she stepped into her shoes and headed out of the door.

Walking down the street she looked up at the sky, it was pale blue with wispy, white clouds floating high up. She could see a troubling black cloud swallowing the sky to her left, her eyes lingered on this for a moment before returning to the path in front of her. She could see the turning that led the Urahara shop, her hand reached into her pocket for the shopping list, pulling it out she looked down at it. Without looking up she turned the corner to the store and walked into something. She fell back a step and almost lost her balance, she felt someone grab her hips and steady her. "Sorry," Tala said, she looked up into a smooth, handsome face, it was framed by messy blonde hair streaked with brown, clear blue eyes gazed down at her. She realised that his hands were still on her and that he was extremely close to her, turning pink she stepped back and said, "hi Raiden."

"Hey Tala," he smiled. "Sorry about that."

"It's um- it's ok," she smiled, she had no idea what to say and just stood looking at him, the seconds seemed to stretch out into eternity. Clearing her throat she stepped around him, "well I've got to go," she smiled again and raised her hand in a small wave before heading into the store.

Raiden watched her head inside with dumbfounded look upon his face, he blinked, _she feels different_, he thought, _her spirit power…it was different, it felt stronger or maybe just closer to the surface_, frowning he shook his head. _I wonder what's going on with her, maybe I should talk to her_, he shook his head, _no that would make her suspicious. _Sighing he set off walking, he couldn't get Tala out of his mind and kept wondering what was happening, _I should keep my mind on my own things though I suppose._

Inside the store Tala looked around, it looked the same as always, dark and empty. Stepping forwards she saw a yellow haired boy sprawled on the floor, a girl with shoulder length brown hair stood over him. They both looked up as she said, "hey Kara, hey Hiko." Tala smiled at the pair.

"Hey Tala," grinned Hiko.

"Hey," Kara nodded to her.

Tala held out the list, "can you grab this stuff for me?" She asked, Hiko nodded, scrambling away from Kara he jumped up and grabbed the list before grabbing a basket and throwing things in.

Kara looked up at Tala, "want something to drink?" She asked, her brown eyes looked even darker in the gloom of the shop.

Tala nodded and smiled, "sure." Kara led the way into the back of the store. The murmur of voices could just about be heard coming from one of the rooms, as she walked past she saw a flash of orange hair through a gap in the door. Kara kept walking but Tala stopped and pressed her eye to the gap, she peered into the room. She saw two people sitting around a small table, her dad and Urahara. They were talking in hushed voices but she could hear anyway.

"…is there a chance that she could change? Is she likely to become a vizard?" Urahara asked. Tala frowned, were they talking about her?

"I suppose that only time will tell, I can't be certain yet."

Urahara nodded, "hmm, well you'll have to keep an eye on her, if it looks like she's going to change then we'll have to make sure she can control her hollow."

Ichigo stared at the table before looking up into Urahara's face, "was it really necessary for you to do that to her?"

"You know that it was what she wanted, I highly doubt that she will regret what happened, besides we need her, we need all…" That was all she heard, Kara came back and tugged her arm. Tala looked down, the girl had a stern look on her face, Tala gave her an apologetic smile and Kara sighed, she shook her head before smiling, "come on," she whispered.

Tala nodded and followed her. Kara walked a few steps in front of Tala, a frown creased her face, _I hope she didn't hear anything important, _she thought.

In the room Ichigo and Urahara frowned, they had both just felt it, Tala's spirit power. "Oh dear," Urahara murmured, "I hope she didn't overhear anything."

Ichigo nodded, "yeah…"

Kara opened the door to an empty room, three steaming cups sat on the table, Tala sat on one of the cushions that lay around the table and picked up one of the cups. She took a sip and sighed, so many things were rushing through her mind but foremost was the conversation that she had just overheard her dad and Urahara having.

Sitting on the other side of the table Kara watched Tala, Urahara had told her about this girl, she had known her for years but had never thought that she could be so important. What she had been told had been unexpected but now she saw that it was true, she was strong and Kara had the feeling that she would be important in the future.

The door to the room slid open and Hiko tumbled in with two bags in his hands. "Here you go," he grinned. He held out the and Tala took them and placed them on the floor beside her. Hiko joined the two girls on the floor and picked up the last cup, he took a long drink before setting it back down.

Tala finished her drink and took the money from her pocket, handing it to Hiko she said, "thanks for getting that stuff for me. I'll see you both later," she smiled and stood up, grabbing the bags she headed out of the room, she heard Hiko and Kara shout goodbye, she waved over her shoulder before heading towards the front of the store. She paused as she went past the room that her dad had been in, the door was open and the room was empty.

Heading outside she saw that the dark cloud had conquered more of the sky, she could see rain in the distance and knew that it would hit them soon. She set off home staring hard at the space ahead of her without seeing it. Reaching the house she kicked off her shoes and went into the kitchen, emptying the bags she went upstairs and into her room. Sitting on the windowsill she watched as the rain began to fall, a murky grey veil that hid the world from view.

Several streets away the air distorted, the boy, Raiden sat on the roof of a house and watched as the air split and a white hand came through. Raiden watched with misty eyes, the hollow emerged fully and the hole that it had appeared through vanished. It looked around and Raiden fell from the roof, he hit the ground with a thump and lay still.

_Please review so I know where I may be going wrong and can improve, thanks._


	5. Chapter 5

-1**Chapter 5.**

Tala's eyes shot open, her head jerked up, "a hollow," she breathed. Leaping from the windowsill she raced to her dad's room, flinging open the door of his wardrobe she grabbed a small dispenser with a rabbit on top. She pressed the top of the rabbit and a small, round pill shot out, grabbing it she threw it into her mouth. Her body fell to the floor and Tala stood in her death god robes, her sword hung at her side. She watched as her body stood up and moved to the side, a big grin split its face, Tala grimaced. Shaking her head she turned and opened the window, standing on the ledge she leapt out onto the roof of their neighbours house. Running along the roof she jumped onto another, the rain was still lashing down but she ignored it and continued to jump from roof to roof, she could sense the hollow nearby, she could also sense something else but she wasn't sure what it was, though it did feel familiar.

She saw the hollow, its head was just visible above the roofline, Tala stopped and looked down at the hollow, its white mask was sharply contrasted by its black body, red lines raced over its arm. She took a moment to steel herself before throwing herself forwards, she landed lightly in the street and unsheathed her soul slayer. The hollows eyes fell upon her and it let out a high pitched scream, Tala winced as the sound hit her ears, she fought the urge to cover them with her hands.

Rukia's eyes widened and she stopped, she and Ichigo had been walking to his home, they had been going to get Tala. Ichigo had taken a few paces before realising that Rukia had stopped, he turned to look at her, "what is it?"

"Tala's fighting a hollow," she looked straight into his eyes, she knew what he was about to do and so pointed to where the hollow was. Ichigo pulled his representatives badge from his pocket and hit it against his chest, his body fell to the ground and Ichigo ran off in his death god robes with his soul slayer on his back. Rukia watched him go before dragging his body from the road.

Ichigo rounded a corner and froze, he watched as his daughter flew through the air, a soul slayer was held confidently in her outstretched hands. He watched as she slashed at the hollow, it lashed out at her. Dodging its attack she landed on its shoulder and slashed through its arm, blood spurted from the wound as the severed arm fell to the ground, the hollow roared in pain. It swung its other arm at her and Tala leapt into the air, she flipped over so that she was upside down and allowed her momentum to carry her upwards. Once she stopped rising she pointed her sword downwards, she fell towards the hollow, her sword pierced its head. She placed her feet on either side of her sword and pulled it out, jumping from its head she landed on the floor and sheathed her sword as the hollow vanished. Ichigo smiled, "guess I shouldn't worry about her so much," Turning around he headed back to where he had left Rukia.

Tala punched the air and grinned broadly, she allowed herself this moment of celebration before composing herself and heading for home, a smile quirked her lips the whole way. She hadn't noticed Raiden lying in the shadows or that once the hollow had disappeared he had stirred. He now sat up and groaned, looking around he saw that it was still raining and realised that he was soaking wet. Standing he pressed a hand to his head and walked home, he felt like he had a knife sticking in his skull.

Tala pushed open her front door and headed upstairs, she saw her body sitting on her bed, a grin split its face. She moved over and forced herself back inside, stretching she put her hand to her side, she looked down and sighed, her sword wasn't there, she didn't feel right without it. Sighing she fell onto her back and stared up at the ceiling.

Morning, the sun peered over the rooftops casting long shadows. Tala sat on her windowsill, her legs hung out of the window. She saw a black haired girl heading towards her house, she was tall, her black hair just brushed her shoulders. The girl stopped and looked up at Tala, "come on!" She called. Tala leaned back and grabbed her bag, slinging it onto her shoulder she pushed herself forwards and fell from her window, she landed gently on the grass and walked over to the girl.

"Morning Hikari," she said.

Hikari looked at her and shook her head, she smiled, "you just can't do things the normal way can you?"

Tala grinned, "why would I want to?" Hikari laughed. The two girls headed towards the school, they saw the gate looming above them, groups of people in uniform lingered around outside them. The girls headed through the gate and made their way to a large willow, pushing aside the low hanging branches they stepped beneath the tree and let the branches fall back like a curtain. A group of five people sat in the shade, three boys and two girls, her eyes ran over them, the boys, Kenta, Tatsuo, and Kyo and the girls, Sayuri and Mitsuko. Tala's eyes fell upon someone that she hadn't noticed, it was Raiden. She couldn't help but wonder what he was doing there. She saw that he was looking at her and she turned red before looking away. Hikari sat down beside Sayuri and fell into conversation, Tala dropped down in front of Kenta, Raiden was sat beside him and she kept finding that her eyes were drawn to him.

Tala didn't listen to what was said, if anyone spoke to her she gave an indistinct answer. The bell rang and the group began to rise, Tala noticed and stood as well, they all drifted off to their form rooms.

Tala rested her head on her hand and stared out of the window, the day passed this way, she couldn't concentrate on what was said and so just gazed at the blue sky. At the end of the day she headed home without a word to anyone, throwing her bag aside she fell onto her bed.

"What's up?" Something hopped up onto her stomach, she looked down to see a yellow, stuffed lion.

Sitting up she looked down at it and said, "nothing, just thinking about things." The lion nodded thoughtfully whilst eyeing her chest, Tala noticed and hit him in the face. "Knock it off Kon," she said as he flew across the room and thumped into the wall. Sighing she stood up and headed downstairs, she was halfway down when someone knocked on the door, padding over she opened the door. Raiden stood in front of her, confusion bloomed in her mind, what's he doing here? She wondered. She smiled regardless and said, "hey, what's up?"

"Come with me," he said, turning he walked off, Tala stood for a moment watching him go, she then stepped into her shoes and headed after him. Catching up she walked beside him, she wondered where he was leading her but didn't ask, she kept glancing over at him but his face was expressionless. They walked along as the sun drew closer to the horizon. Raiden came to an abrupt stop, Tala halted and looked at him. He put his hands on her shoulders and closed his eyes, opening them he said, "I can tell your powerful, you've uncovered your strength recently and I know that it's time for me to tell you, I wasn't sure before but I don't think I'll have another chance so…" He bit his bottom lip and looked down, Tala looked at him, she was confused, she wondered what he was going to tell her and how he knew about her spirit power.

She was about to ask him when she saw something shift in the shadows, she squinted trying to see what was there. Someone stepped out of the shadows and stood gazing at the pair, Tala saw that it was a death god, he had a sword in his hand and hair that was an even brighter shade of red than hers. He had a white cloth around tied around his forehead, black tattoos were just visible above it. "Abarai?" Tala frowned as he raised his sword.

_/Please review so that I know how to improve, thanks!/_


	6. Chapter 6

-1**Chapter 6.**

Tala tried to catch Renji's eye but he wouldn't look at her, his gaze was fixed upon Raiden, she looked between the two wondering what was going on, Raiden looked as confused as she felt. She frowned as Renji raised his sword and pointed it at Raiden, "Renji what are you doing?" She asked in a strangled voice. She saw him shift to move forwards, Tala tried to act but Raiden pushed her away, she staggered backwards and Renji raised his sword and brought it down over Raiden's head. Tala's eyes widened, she tensed, ready to attack Renji but Raiden had moved. She blinked looking around for him, Renji looked startled as well and looked around for the boy.

Turning around a shadow fell across Tala's face, looking up she saw Raiden standing on the edge of a roof. Her face creased into a frown, how had he moved so fast? He leaned forwards and tumbled through the air, her eyes widened, he landed on his feet and swayed, she saw that his eyes had clouded over. Tala looked over at Renji who had noticed all of this, she saw him tense and launch himself forwards, Tala kicked herself off the ground and barrelled into Renji. They both crashed to the floor, Tala attempted to roll free but Renji held onto her arm. "What are you doing?" She asked, her voice was strained, she had no idea what was going on.

"Go home, you shouldn't be here," Renji grunted.

"Why? What's goi-" She was thrown through the air before she could finish her question, twisting in the air she landed in a crouch and skidded backwards. Rising she prepared to attack Renji again but he was gone, she frowned, Raiden was gone as well. She looked around, where had they gone? She closed her eyes and searched for their spirit power but she couldn't find it. Sighing she looked at the ground and closed her eyes, putting her hand to her head she murmured, "what is going on?"

Shaking her head she headed back towards home, she frowned and stared at the ground as she moved, she couldn't figure out what was going on, she wanted to know why Renji had attacked Raiden and where they had both gone. Pushing open her front door she kicked off her shoes and headed into the living room, dropping down onto the sofa she closed her eyes. When her dad came home she would ask him if he knew why Renji had done what he did, if he didn't know then she would have to go and see Urahara, she didn't want to but she knew that he would know, he always knew what was going on. She opened her eyes and let her head fall against the sofa, she hoped her dad knew, she found it hard to trust Urahara as he seemed to keep so much to himself.

The door opened and Tala looked over the back of the sofa, she saw her dad walk in looking extremely tired, his shoulders sagged and his eyes were bloodshot. Getting up she padded over to him and asked, "are you ok?" He closed his eyes and nodded, taking hold of his arm she guided him into the living room and onto the sofa. Heading into the kitchen she flipped the switch on the kettle and grabbed a mug from the cupboard. She dropped some coffee into the cup and leant against the cabinet with her arms folded, he was to tired, she couldn't ask him what was happening, she'd have to go and see Urahara. Sighing she turned around, the kettle reached boiling point and clicked, she poured water into the cup and stirred it. Grabbing the milk from the fridge she poured a little into the steaming cup before carrying it into the living room.

Handing the cup to her dad she headed for the front door and stepped into her shoes, "I'm going out for a bit dad, I'll see you later." She heard him grunt as she stepped out of the door, the wind caught her as she left the shelter of the house, zipping up her jacket she set off at a run. Her feet pounded a steady tattoo on hard concrete. She slowed as she reached the store and jogged around the back, she pushed the door open a fraction and peered inside, no one was around. She slipped inside and closed the door behind her, keeping to the shadows she made her way through the shop, she could sense Urahara nearby, this was strange as she had never been able to sense him before, he always kept his spirit power under control. Keeping low she peered around a door frame and froze.

Urahara was standing looking down upon a still body, Renji was stood beside Urahara, his sword was gripped tightly in his hand. Shifting to the side Tala confirmed that the body was Raiden, she could just about make out the rise and fall of his chest, he was alive. The two men were talking in hushed whispers, Tala strained her ears but she couldn't hear them, she desperately wanted to know what was going on. Glancing around she saw that she was alone, Renji and Urahara were focused on Raiden and she hoped they wouldn't notice her. She took a slow step forwards into the room, keeping low she shifted sideways until she reached the corner of the room. There was a window beside her, it stood open giving her an escape route, a small set of shelves partially hid her from view.

She found that she could hear them a little better from her new vantage point though she still had to strain her ears. "So I have to stay here until this is over?" She heard Renji ask.

Urahara nodded, "yes."

"And how long is this going to take?"

"It take as little as a day or it could take up to a week."

Renji sighed and looked down at the boy, "great," he muttered.

Tala frowned, she still didn't know what was going on but she knew that she couldn't do anything about it at straight away, she had to find out what was going on first and that would probably prove to be difficult.

Pressing herself against the wall she slowly stood up, she was careful not to move quickly, she didn't want to attract any attention. She carefully stepped onto the windowsill and hopped down, she landed silently and crouched down. Creeping away from the window she stood up straight and jumped up onto the wall that surrounded the store, dropping down onto the other side she headed along the street. Stopping she leant back against a wall, she slid down a little and stared up at the sky, she wondered what they were doing with Raiden, she felt bad for not getting him away from them but she knew that she wouldn't have managed it. Pushing herself away from the wall she walked home with her eyes firmly fixed upon the floor, no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get Raiden out of her mind, she wanted to help him but she knew that she had to find out what was wrong with him first.

When she reached her house she went straight upstairs, and fell back onto her bed. Staring up at the ceiling she found that her eyes were closing, she hadn't realised how tired she was but it was catching up with her. Closing her eyes she allowed sleep to consume her.

_/Please review so I know where I'm going wrong, thanks./_


	7. Chapter 7

-1**Chapter 7.**

By the time dawn came Tala was already awake, she was sitting fully dressed on the windowsill. She hadn't slept well, her mind kept wandering to Raiden, she desperately wanted to know why they were keeping him at the shop. Chewing on her bottom lip she thought about the day ahead, school seemed insignificant the only important thing she could thin k of was Raiden. Rolling backwards into her room she shed her school uniform and grabbed a blue t-shirt and a pair of faded jeans, pulling them on she opened the door and nearly stepped on Kon, _he must have slept outside my door_, she thought.

Grabbing the stuffed lion she shoved her hand into his mouth, Kon woke up and made furious gagging sounds. Tala's finger's closed around a small ball, withdrawing her hand she swallowed the pill and her body fell to the floor leaving her death god form standing. She turned and looked down at Kon, he opened his mouth to speak but she dropped to her knees and clamped her hand over his mouth. "Be quiet," she hissed. "Don't let my dad find out that it's you ok, just be quiet and leave the house as quickly as possible, I don't expect you to go to school but go somewhere where I can find you later. Remember, you're in my body so behave." She put a lot of emphasis on her last word, releasing him she stood up and headed to the window, she heard Kon slink out and when she turned around her door was closed and the stuffed lion lay on the floor.

Jumping down into the street she set off for Urahara's store at a run. It hadn't been necessary to leave her body but it did make it easier to pass through the streets unnoticed, the streets were empty as it was early but she wanted to make sure no one saw her. She skidded to a stop outside the store and glanced around quickly, everything was quiet. Spotting an open window she climbed in and crept down the hallway towards the room that Raiden was being kept in. Sliding the door to his room open she stepped inside and closed it, the room was empty apart from Raiden's unmoving form. Creeping over she knelt down beside him, she ran her tongue over her lips, _maybe this was a bad idea, _she thought. Shaking her head she took a breath and pulled the sheet off of Raiden, she noticed that he was wearing plain white robes which struck her as odd but she shrugged this off.

Picking him up she slid the door open with her foot, peering out she saw that the doors were all still closed. As she headed for the door she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up, she heard movement and a shiver snaked down her spine. Her senses snapped to full alert and she began to move faster, pushing the door open with her foot she peered over her shoulder and hopped out onto the grass. She ran round to the front of the store and out onto the street.

As she passed through the gateway a brick with a symbol painted on it snapped in half, the same thing happened to other bricks around the store. Tala didn't notice she just kept running, she didn't know where she was going but she knew that she couldn't go home.

She passed the school and stopped, looking over at it she saw that it was still empty, even the cleaners wouldn't arrive for another hour or so. Moving over to the gates she peered through, the trees would give her somewhere to hide Raiden while she figured out her next move. Taking a step back she jumped up onto the wall with Raiden still cradled in her arms, leaping down she ran over to the trees and lay Raiden behind one. Sitting down Tala stared at the boy, she still didn't know why they had taken him, she didn't know where to go next or what to do with him. Sighing she stared at grass as the sun edged higher into the sky.

Urahara stood in the room where they had been keeping Raiden, the sheet lay crumpled on the sleeping mat. His eyes ran over the scene as Renji walked into the room.

"Go and find him," Urahara said, "we can't leave him out there to long." He turned to look at Renji who nodded and ran from the room. Facing the spot where Raiden had been Urahara couldn't help but hope that the boy would not wake up, it was dangerous enough when he was hidden by protective charms but when he was in the open he might connect with them even whilst sleeping. Shaking his head he went to wake up the two children.

"Tala.." She looked down to see that Raiden was looking up at her, a look of confusion adorned his face. She smiled down at him then frowned as his eyes became misted. Something tingled at the edge of her senses and she looked up to a see a patch of the sky turn black, a white claw scratched at the sky as it emerged. Tala's eyes widened as it revealed its self fully, it was the biggest hollow that she had ever seen, it had a gigantic black body and a white face with a long hooked nose. Tala swallowed and gripped the hilt of her sword.

Renji sensed a hollow and a moment later he saw it appear, "damn it!" He shouted, he ran towards the hollow, _the boy must have woken up, _he thought. Applying a bust of speed he jumped over a wall and skidded to a stop behind the hollow. He saw Tala, she was staring up at the hollow, drawing his sword he was about to release it when he saw Tala draw hers, he paused and watched her.

"Corrupt, Akito!" She roared, darkness rushed along the blade of her sword, it seemed to shift and twist, a black streak burst from the hilt it wrapped around it and trailed behind her, it kept flicking around and contorting. She looked down at her sword and grinned before looking up at the hollow, shifting her stance she jumped up into the air. She grabbed onto the hollow and swung her sword around, stabbing it into the hollow she ran up its body dragging the blade through its body behind her. It screamed and thrashed around but it seemed unable to get to her, she didn't know why and she didn't want to stop and wonder she was just glad that it hadn't hit her yet.

Renji watched as she reached its neck and slashed at its neck, the hollow screamed once more and vanished, the sound of its cry was all that remained. The girl fell to the ground and landed gently, he sword changed back and she sheathed it. Renji barely noticed this, he was thinking about the trail that her sword had left, her had never seen anything like it before, it had left a trail of shifting darkness that had spread across the hollow. He didn't know what it was or what it had done, he decided not to worry, at least she had defeated it. Jumping up onto the wall that he had come over he was about to leave when he sensed something, his eyes widened and he turned around. A dozen more patches had appeared in the sky, large white hands protruded from them.

Tala had walked over to Raiden to make sure he was ok, sensing the hollows she turned around and froze. She had managed to defeat one but there were so many of them this time, swallowing she grabbed the hilt of her sword once more.

Renji's eyes raced from one slowly emerging hollow to another before settling on Tala, movement behind her caught his eye, Raiden was standing up and moving steadily towards the hollows. Leaping from the wall Renji raced over to the boy and plunged his sword into the boys chest. A scream tore from his lips and his eyes returned to normal, he fell back, the sword slid from his chest.

Tala heard his cry and looked over, "no!" She screamed. She raced over and fell to her knees beside his body, blood poured from his chest, the life was gone from his eyes. Tears fell from her eyes, she looked up at Renji and saw that the hollows were gone she looked into Renji's eyes, he looked sad. She felt confused, she didn't know what was going on. Looking down at Raiden her tears fell faster, "Renji, what's going on?" She felt him kneel and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'll explain later, ok?" He said, she nodded and slumped against him. "We have to go before anyone arrives, we'll go back to the shop and I'll explain everything there." Renji stood up and helped her to her feet before picking up Raiden, they walked back to the store in silence. Tala stared at the floor, she refused to look at Raiden, the thought that he might live didn't occur to her. Tears ran down her face, she was still confused, she was also tired and sad. When they reached the store Renji disappeared with Raiden, Tala was greeted by Kara who handed her a warm cup, Tala attempted to smile but failed she took a sip of her drink and sat down to wait for Renji to reappear.

_/Please review so I know where I'm going wrong, thanks./_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8.**

Tala stared down into her cup as she waited for Renji to return, her eyes felt heavy and tears still burned them. She saw someone come into the room and looked up at Renji, she didn't speak she just watched him as he sat down on the opposite side of the table. Renji took a deep breath and looked into her eyes, "he wasn't a normal human," he said. Tala frowned and opened her mouth to ask him what he was talking about but he held up a hand to halt her. "He had an odd ability that he couldn't control, he could contact hollows, they were drawn to him. He acted like a beacon, drawing through from Hueco Mundo, they used his energy and broke through."

Tala looked down at the carpet, "but, hollows are drawn to anyone with spirit power unless they conceal it."

"It was different, he didn't have as much spirit power as other people in this town it was just an ability of his, if he'd been able to control it then he could have called hollows to him or pushed them away at will. Unfortunately we only discovered his ability recently and didn't have a chance to find and train him."

Tala looked up, "is he dead?" She knew she was being blunt but she had to know, they could have saved him but maybe they hadn't wanted to.

"No, we revived him but…well come and see for yourself." Renji stood and left the room, Tala hesitated for a moment, wondering what had happened, before jumping up and following Renji.

They entered Raiden's room and she saw that he was covered by a blanket up to his neck, he looked pale and beads of sweat were running down his face. Renji knelt beside him and turned to look at Tala, she moved over and knelt beside him. Renji took hold of the blanket and pulled it back, Tala's eyes widened, the air raced from her lungs as she stared. She took a deep breath and steadied herself, her eyes swept over Raiden. His skin had twisted in places and changed colour, it was black and looked rock hard, it stood out from his body like armour, small, white spikes jutted out from his shoulders, they were only short but they looked dangerous. "Oh Raiden…" she breathed, turned to Renji she asked, "how did this happen?"

"We aren't certain but we think that each time he made contact with a hollow and it drew on him to come here his body changed, we think that when all those menos grande came through before it caused even more damage to his body. We don't know how bad it is yet so we don't whether we can help him. It doesn't look good though, he may die and if he does we won't revive him."

Tears slid down her face once more, Renji looked at her and saw the tears he hesitated before gently placing a hand on her shoulder. He was about to speak but changed his mind and stood up, he silently left the room looking at the boy before he closed the door. Tala placed her hand on Raiden's chest and looked down at his face, "Raiden.." she sniffed. Her hand brushed one of the rough, armoured patches and a shiver ran up her arm, she pulled the blanket back over him and lay down beside him. She put her arm over his blanket covered chest, ignoring the tingling sensation of her skin being above the armoured patches she closed her eyes.

As she lay there a fog stole into her mind, everything became shrouded and the only thing that was clear was a shrill, voice. _They didn't do all they could to help him, they wanted him to die that's why they left him so long. They could have found him straight away and prevented this. You know that they didn't do all they could, you know that they could still save him but they don't want to because they know that he'll side with you and that scares them because the pair of you would be more powerful than they could ever dream of being. _

At first she tried to ignore the voice, she kept telling herself that it was wrong but as it continued she began to see that it made sense. Hatred burnt inside her, they were against her, how long would it be until they began to think that she was to much of a threat and got rid of her? Her hands curled into fists and she snarled, standing up she threw the door open and ran to where Urahara, his assistants and Renji were sitting. "Monsters," she roared in a voice that was higher than her normal one. They looked up at her in shock, her eyes had yellowed. Renji stood up and Tala punched him, shock and pain burst onto his face and he was thrown backwards into the wall, plaster fell from the wall as he dropped to the floor. Urahara stood up but Tala turned and leapt through the window.

She tore away through the streets, she hopped over walls and anything else that happened to be in the way, a grin was plastered across her face, she laughed as she ran. She stopped when she reached the school, she had been her only hours before, Renji had killed Raiden here, turning she saw that Renji had followed her, he was clutching his stomach where she had punched him. He had his sword in his hand in its released form. He saw that white fragments were gathering on Tala's face.

Tala ripped her sword from her sheath, as she pulled it free it changed into its second form. She laughed hysterically as she began to spin her sword around at her side, the fragments gathered faster. A white mask almost fully covered her face, red, rectangular bars ran beneath her yellow eyes, a curved red arrow pointed towards her right eye, there was a gap above her left eye where the mask hadn't finished forming, big white teeth split the mask at the bottom.

Renji grunted and stood up straight, his hand fell from his stomach, the school was full of people, he hoped that they would all stay inside and that Tala would leave the building alone, that way no one would get hurt. He looked up as Tala spoke, "what's the matter? Are you scared of me?" Her voice was high pitched and constantly sounded like it was on the brink of laughter. A shiver ran down his spine, somehow her inner hollow had taken over, this would be dangerous. Tala ceased spinning her sword around and gripped it in one hand, grinning she jumped forwards and turned in mid-air so that her feet were pointing towards Renji. He fell backwards onto the grass, Tala stood on him keeping him pinned to the ground, he tried to swing his sword at her but she just tutted and knocked it away with her sword. "Can't have you trying anything like that again can I?" She asked. Swinging her sword it sliced into Renji's arm, he cried out as he felt the blade cut him, he then screamed as darkness rippled along his arm from the cut, twisting and changing his arm. He closed his eyes and clamped his mouth shut. Once he had himself under control he opened his eyes and looked up at Tala, she grinned down at him.

"Wha-" he started to speak but winced as the pain in his arm spread to his hand.

"Aw, are you in pain?" Tala asked, "well then I guess you know how Raiden feels," she laughed and bounced up and down on her heels, Renji shut his eyes trying to block out the pain from his arm and chest. He didn't understand, she knew that they were helping Raiden as much as they could, what had changed her? Her hollow shouldn't have had been able to gain control without help, not while she was still strong. He didn't have a chance to think about things anymore than that as Tala decided to lift one foot and drive it down onto his chest.

Renji cried out again and again as Tala continued to do this, she laughed as she did. Something behind her yellow eyes flickered but she ignored it, inside she was screaming, she was begging her body to stop but she wasn't in control anymore. Something collided with her side, knocking her from Renji's body, flipping over she landed on her feet and skidded backwards a little. She looked at her assailant, it was Ichigo, he had his sword in his hand and he was staring at her. She grinned at him and raised her sword. "Stop this, it's time to go home." Ichigo said calmly.

Tala tilted her head to the side and stared at him, she threw her head back and laughed at him. Inside she had stopped screaming, she was concentrating on her left arm, she felt her finger twitch and knew that she was gaining control but she didn't know whether she would be able to get total control of her arm before the hollow decided to kill someone.

Launching herself forward she brought her sword around, aiming for Ichigo's sword arm. He blocked her with his sword but was forced back slightly, Tala hopped back and brought her sword swinging down at her dad's head, he blocked her once more. He stared into her eyes at all times, seeing a flash of blue he smiled, jumping back he knew that if he could just keep going long enough she would regain control. Tala attacked again pressing him back even more and he frowned, he knew that he had to buy her some time but he didn't know how long he would be able to keep going, he couldn't attack her properly as that would break her concentration but that didn't stop her attacking him.

He realised what he had to do and when she dropped back again he let his sword fall to his side and looked at the ground, he stood completely unprotected waiting for her to attack him. She saw this and laughed as she jumped towards him, he looked up when she was in mid-flight and her laugh stopped, she managed to shift and land on the floor, she quickly darted away and regarded him from a short distance away. A white mask covered his face, it was similar to her own but had a different pattern and his eyes hadn't changed colour. "Ready to fight? Or are you scared?" He asked.

_/Please review so I know where I'm going wrong, thanks.\_

_/Unfortunately I won't be able to update for the next two weeks as I'm going away and I don't think I'll be able to take my laptop, sorry.\_


	9. Chapter 9

-1**Chapter 9.**

Tala gripped her sword and stared at her dad, she grinned and ran at him. A frown creased her face when her sword cut through air, she felt movement behind her and jumped up into the air as Ichigo sliced the air where she had been. Swinging her leg she smiled as her foot collided with the side of his head, her smile vanished when he grabbed her foot, pulling her down he raised his fist and hit her chin. Her head snapped back, snarling she swung her sword at him, he pushed her away and she skidded across the ground.

Tensing she shifted her weight and was about to attack again when Ichigo raced towards her, he brought his sword down towards her head, leaning back she swung her sword up, metal clashed with metal. Ichigo put all of his weight on his sword forcing her down, she gritted her teeth and pushed her sword upwards. She knew he would overpower her if they stayed like that so she jumped backwards a step, thrusting her sword forwards she caught Ichigo's arm as he dodged to the side. She smiled with satisfaction but he didn't pause, he brought his sword up and she let out a gasp as the blade sliced across her stomach, warmth spread down her stomach.

Jumping backwards she stared at her dad, he had control of his hollow and she would control hers. She had control of one arm but she needed to gain control of the rest of her body, "Akito!" She roared, "help me!"

Something flickered into existence behind her, "I'm here," said Akito. Tala held out her hand and Akito placed a black feather on her palm, gripping it she felt it lengthen and change into a sword.

Her left arm hung by her side as she ran towards Ichigo but she didn't notice. She stabbed her sword at his chest but he knocked her sword aside with his, she jumped to the side and winced as pain shot down her right arm. She looked down at it, he hadn't hit it so why did it hurt, shaking her head she launched herself forwards with her sword held out to the side she swung it at Ichigo but her movements were slow and he simply stepped backwards. He lashed out with her foot and caught her in the side, she was sent spinning to the side and skidded across the ground.

Inside she roared, she was gaining ground, she could feel it, with every second she was getting stronger and the hollow was getting weaker.

Shakily she got to her feet and turned to face Ichigo, he noticed that she seemed to be weakening. Tensing he ran at her and attacked, she blocked a few of his blows but the majority hit her. She cried out as pain flooded her body.

Inside she felt her fathers barrage and attacked. She knew she was nearly there she just had to hope that her body could deal with all of this.

She screamed as Ichigo's foot smashed into her stomach, she staggered backwards and crumpled, she lay on the floor and groaned. The mask that concealed her face began to crumble and fell away from her skin, her eyes closed and her body relaxed.

Inside she smiled and dropped her sword, Akito vanished and she closed her eyes to rest, she was mentally and physically exhausted.

Ichigo walked over to his daughter and picked her up, the mask had fallen away from her face, he looked down and saw her sword lying on the ground, stooping down he tried to pick it up but it disappeared. Shrugging he stood up and headed home, he knew that this wasn't over but for now he'd let her rest, they'd sort things out later.

They were half way home when he saw Rukia, she looked stressed and when she saw him she ran towards him. "Where have you been? What happened?"

"Just a little fight, no big deal." He shrugged, "she beat up Renji but I'm sure he'll be fine."

Rukia looked shocked, "you had a fight? Why?"

"Come with me, I'll explain later. I need to make sure she's okay first." Rukia frowned but nodded and fell into step beside him, she kept shooting glances from Tala to Ichigo.

When they got home Ichigo took Tala to her room and lay her on the bed, Rukia went into the kitchen and got the first aid kit, she took it upstairs and Ichigo stood against the wall as Rukia went over to the bed. She glanced over at him and said, "don't worry you can leave," she grinned. Ichigo nodded and hurried out of the room, on the way out he grabbed Kon who was hiding behind a stack of books and threw him out of the room, he shut the door and headed downstairs.

Rukia stripped away Tala's tattered robes and looked at the cuts and bruises that adorned her body, Ichigo could have done a lot of damage but he hadn't, most of the wounds were minor, the worst ones were the cut across her stomach and the gash on her arm.

She cleaned out the wounds and bandaged the worst ones, she put plasters on one or two of the smaller ones and left the minor cuts open, they'd heal easily enough. She stood up and looked down at her, she looked peaceful enough, she just needed to rest. Satisfied that she was alright she grabbed the first aid kit and headed down the stairs.

She walked into the front room and saw Ichigo standing in front of the mirror, he prodded the side of his head with a finger and winced. Looking at the spot that he had touched she saw that blood had matted his hair, he saw her and turned around. She went over to him and stood on her tip toes, she placed on hand on his chest and the other on the side of his face. She saw that the cut wasn't to bad, it was barely a scratch it was just in a bad place which made it painful.

Ichigo looked down at her and felt his face heat up, Rukia noticed and looked into his eyes, she realised where her hands were and how close here face was to his. Clearing her throat she stepped backwards and turned around, her hands tingled from where they had touched his clothes and skin and a smile creased her face but she didn't want him to notice. Ichigo smiled and Rukia turned around with no trace of a smile on her face, he straightened his face and looked down into her eyes.

"That'll be fine," she said pointing to the cut on his head, "just clean it out and leave it."

Ichigo nodded and picked up the first aid kit, he took it into the kitchen and reappeared a few moments later with two cups in his hands. "Here," he said and handed her one of the cups.

"Thanks," she lowered her eyes and smiled before taking a sip. Ichigo smiled at her before going and sitting down. Rukia followed and looked at him, "so, why were you fighting?"

Ichigo sighed and massaged his eyes with his fingers, "her hollow took control, she attacked Renji so I stepped in, I changed into my vaizard form and fought with her. It took awhile but she regained control of her body." He shrugged.

Rukia nodded, "you'll have to teach her how to control it."

Ichigo nodded, "I know, I'll start once she has her strength back."

Rukia looked down into her drink, she hoped that nothing else would go wrong but she knew that it would, nothing seemed to go smoothly when it came to Ichigo and his family.

/_I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to update, I was on holiday so I haven't been able to get online. I'll be updating once a week again now. Thanks for being patient./_

_/Please review so I know where I'm going wrong, thanks./_


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